Getting a Ring Resized: What You Should Know

There could be many reasons for getting a ring resized. Most importantly, weight loss or weight gain is the culprit. Sometimes, just the wish to wear the ring on another finger, can be the reason to resize the ring. Resizing a ring is not that simple as it sounds. There are various technical or other issues to be considered.

Getting a Ring Resized: Techniques

Ornate rings with intricate designing are hardly adjustable. Rings with simple shanks or plain bands are comparatively easier to resize, for both enlarging or shrinking the size. Shrinking the ring requires its band to be cut by some professional jeweler. Once a strip from the band is out, its both edges are joined by soldering. After getting polished, it’s ready to use. Enlarging the ring requires bit different techniques:

Stretching

Reworking

Stretching technique for getting a ring resized largely depends on the material and design of the ring. A ring can be stretched to half size larger maximum.

In Reworking, a ring’s shank is cut to create a gap, then an extra piece of metal (whatever it’s made of) is soldered within to fill that gap. The last step by the jeweler is to get it smoothed and polished.

Cost of Resizing a Ring

The cost of getting one resized is determined by the metal (of which the ring is made of) price on that day in the market. Labor and service fee is an addition. It’s advisable to inquire earlier about the type of techniques resizing the ring requires. If the ring is intricately designed, you should expect more labor fee as compared to simple rings. Some stores offer resizing service for free within certain time after purchase, so talk to them. A silver or gold ring can be decreased within $50-$100 approximately. Enlarging a gold ring will cost $100-250 because of added metal. Gent’s ring with thick band may cost you more.

How Long Will It Take?

Most of the time, you can get in-store resizing, from where you bought the ring. Getting a ring resized properly may take a couple of days or may be a week. It depends on the jeweler. It can also be done within an hour as some bench jewelers claim. You have both the options. But a quickly done ring from a low-cost bench jeweler will have a comparatively poor finishing. An independent jeweler may take some time to get it repaired but it will end as a ring, you dreamed of, with a mirror finishing.

Complexities of Resizing

Resizing a ring is not as simple as it sounds. There are various complexities in resizing.

Make sure the jeweler solders the shank properly (without any dent or a thin band). Otherwise it will get weak and break eventually.

If it’s a platinum ring, it will have a nicked line, even after it’s been soldered perfectly. No worries!

Titanium rings cannot be resized as it’s hard to cut and rejoin this metal. Other techniques like stretching or adding extra metal also do not work properly.

To resize a ring with gemstones, jewelers would have to remove them. And if not made in traditional prong settings, removing stones could damage the ring.

Soldering a ring requires over-heating and that can damage the stones except diamonds or other heat-resistant stones.

Should You Get It Resized? Learn from People’s Experiences!

“I thought of getting a ring resized but cancelled it later. My ring slides from my finger in winter as my fingers normally shrink in the cold. But it fits in well in summer so I decided not to go with this option. I put on a plastic sizer on it in winter.”

“I was having the same weather issue. People suggested me not to resize my ring as many issues surface later on. But following my guts, I got it resized, and the best part, for free! I didn’t have to face any complexity.”

“Consider buying a temporary ring guard, easily available at Walmart. You can use them in cold. Kay's and Zales make them in white gold, these ring guards cost around $30.”

Things to Bear in Mind!

Leftover Piece of Gold

The cutout pieces of the any metal (especially gold) are sometimes kept by the jewelers and the unfortunate customers have no idea of its worth. Keep on adding such leftovers would make a good deal for such bench jewelers. We recommend you to get it done by some well-reputed independent jeweler. They normally give the cutouts back. In case they don’t, you can ask for these leftover pieces yourself.

Do not Look for Cheap Prices!

Resizing the ring should not affect the thickness of the shank. Just for paying fewer bucks, do not compromise on the quality of work. A commonly observed practice indicates, such low-cost jewelers would grind the whole shank of the ring (instead of the area of resizing), making the bottom of the shank too thin. A good jeweler would only deal with the area of sizing. Paying a little more and get it done properly, is what we would recommend.